A lack of capital investment has resulted in the long-term cost of projects becoming more of a priority for specifiers. Brian Sofley, Managing Director for ASSA ABLOY Security Doors explores how whole life costing is becoming a crucial element for security door specifiers.
Changes in purchasing processes, company resources and available assets has led to an industry characterised by tighter control on capital spend and a shift in focus from capex to opex budgeting. Companies can no longer afford to make large project investments without justifying the long-term cost implications. The consciousness of the industry to the longer-term financial costs and implications of projects and their individual products has changed how specifiers, including security specifiers, source products.
Although actual initial cost will always take precedent, there is a growing emphasis on the associated costs over a period of time, especially on Government or public sector tenders. In practical terms, building materials or products, such as doorsets, which have the lowest initial capital costs may end up costing more over the entire life cycle of a project. If the quality of the product is inferior, then specifiers will need to account for frequent replacement cycles and the additional maintenance work.
The main purpose of whole-life costing is to correctly inform on the evaluation of options; it is unwise to make a selection based on a minor cost advantage at the beginning of a door’s life cycle, if the quality of the product isn’t a high enough standard for its continual application.
Specifiers should equally prioritise future costs, which occur after an asset has been acquired, including maintenance, repair and replacement expenditure. For example, a higher initial investment in a security door can improve value for money over its whole life, by reducing upkeep costs and eliminating the need to upgrade.
This focus on the life span of a project is common throughout the construction sector, but Government-funded buildings in particular are under increasing pressure to deliver savings. A factor further encouraging this approach is the introduction of BIM.
By 2016 all new government-funded buildings need to be constructed using BIM software, designed to save time as well as supplying information on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCAs evaluate the inputs, outputs and potential environmental impacts of a product throughout its life cycle, helping to implement sustainable development. BIM enables specifiers to gain a clear insight into the build process, enabling them to specify products that fit into the wider building design.
It is crucial that security door specifiers adapt to this change in focus during the tender process; manufacturers who understand whole life costing, and who can help make the calculations, can support this transition. Using BIM objects – as well as products backed with life cycle analysis information – assists security specifiers in making an informed decision, based on how the security door will improve operational costs, and how it will perform over the lifetime of a building.
Equally, specifiers do not want to risk using a commodity product that offers an attractive initial saving, but will fail to deliver ‘Best Value’ over its lifetime, therefore working with proven and quality products is crucial.
As well as the quality of the doorset, which itself can be a subjective term, specifiers will also need to take into consideration the application in order to understand the true life cycle implications. For example, doors used in busy hospitals with a lot of through-traffic and heavy equipment, will, by their nature, have a shorter life span and require a more durable material.
Steel is particularly robust and can withstand heavy usage, it is also highly resilient against impact with even hard objects, so can eliminate damage repair bills. A high quality steel door, such as a Powershield Door, which is designed to withstand attacks in accordance with the standards of LPS1175, can prove to be a valuable long-term asset.
It is crucial that specifiers work with manufacturers who fully understand industry pressures, who will provide a long-term solution, as opposed to an affordable commodity product that offers initial cost savings but no long term benefits. Specifying a high quality, fit for purpose security door can reduce maintenance, repair and replacement expenditure over the entire life cycle of a door, ultimately providing better whole life costing.
ASSA ABLOY Security Doors manufactures and installs steel and timber doors in a range of performance options, including security, fire resistant, vandal resistant, acoustic and external.
Visit www.assaabloy.co.uk/securitydoors or telephone 02892 662200.
